Muted Affection
by NonnaZevran17
Summary: Shiloh is a prisoner on a Galra ship, with the help of two paladins she is able to "safely" escape.
1. Chapter 1

_Tap...tap...tap...run...tap...tap...tap...run._

This was it, this was her chance at freedom. Timing her movements to the passing sentries by tapping her fingers to the sound of their steps she moved quickly with out being spotted. Shiloh couldn't believe someone was crazy enough to actually attack a Galra ship but she was thankful to them for it. The guards that were always stationed outside of the medic bay were called to help defend the ship and since, what she could only assume was, the doctor forgot to check her restraints before running to see what the commotion was, Shiloh was able to easily break free and make a run for it. With her heart pounding she finally reached the hallway just outside the area that held the escape pods. Just a few more feet and she would be free. She had no idea where she was in space but she would find her way home somehow...maybe.

 _Tap...tap...tap...run...tap...tap..._

"Stop right there!" A gruff voice commanded from behind her. Shiloh's stomach dropped through the floor as she felt the cool metal of a blaster pressed against her back. "What do you think you're doing out of your cell?" Tears of frustration and devastation stung at the corners of her eyes as she turned to look at the soldier. "On your feet prisoner." She stood slowly and faced him, her eyes flicking over his shoulder as she noticed someone in an armor she had never seen before came up behind him. Noticing her look the soldier turned to see what had captured it but it was too late. The man in the red and white armor pulled a blade that matched him and effortlessly knocked the blaster to the side. After an added swift kick to the soldiers stomach and head her rescuer rendered the Galran soldier unconscious as he made contact with the wall.

"Are you alright?"

The armored man's blade disappeared as he spoke and Shiloh nodded. His eyes focused on the black device that covered her mouth and extended down to her collar bone, her eyes shifted away to the wall. Everyone on the ship understood what it was but to see someone, another human, looking at her with this on her she felt deeply ashamed. It was flexible and breathable, not the most comfortable thing but it made sure she never uttered a sound.

"Can you speak?"

Her head shook slightly,

"Did they do this?"

A nod.

"Let's get you out of here. I'll take you back to my ship and make sure you get out of here in one piece."

Shiloh's eyes turned back to him quickly, widened at the renewed possibility of freedom. He summoned his blade and motioned for her to follow and she did. They ran through corridors as fast as they could, the man in front speaking quickly into his helmet communicator to his team mates. The pair skidded to a halt when they turned a corner and found a handful of sentries waiting for them with their blasters raised. The man grabbed Shiloh and quickly pulled her back behind the wall seconds before they opened fire, luckily missing them.

"Stay here, I'll get rid of them." Shiloh nodded as the man stood and peeked around the corner as the firing slowed. Once it completely ceased he bolted around the edge and the sounds of metal against metal filled the hall. Shiloh eased forward so she could see what was happening. The blasters were hardly a match for him, he was fast and fierce. The sentries fell one after the next as he pushed on, any blast that hit him only slowed him temporarily. Blade pressed flat deflected the bolts back at them. A movement in the corridor to his right side caught Shiloh's eye, another sentry was attempting to sneak up on him while he had his attention turned to the others. Without thinking Shiloh bolted up from her spot and ran towards the man in red. He had saved her life and was risking his life to make sure she got out safe, she was not going to stand by and let him be harmed like this. Just as he cut through the last sentry the one to the right let off his shot. Shiloh shoved the man out of the way with her shoulder to his back just in time and the shot hit her in the side, her body slamming into the wall from the force and sliding to the floor. She felt her body go cold as the pain washed over her. Someone in armor that looked the same as the first man ran from the hall where the blast came from and to his friend.

"Keith! Are you alright?"

The one in the red armor, who she now knew was named Keith, nodded and made his way to his feet. Checking himself for damage with his hands he scanned the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Who pushed..."

Keith's eyes locked on Shiloh laying on the ground, her arm wrapped around her midsection and face twisted in anguish.

"Hunk, help me carry her!"

The two men rushed to her side and saw the blood spreading slowly on her tunic. She attempted to wave them off when she noticed the worried looks but the movement caused her face to screw up once again, had she been able to she would have screamed but no sound could come out of her. The large man in yellow armor, Hunk, gently scooped her up into his arms and carried her bridal style as he ran behind his friend. Hunk whispered comforting words and apologies to her as they ran, Shiloh smiled to herself through the pain at his kindness. He gave her hope and she was thankful for that, she wouldn't think long on if it was true or false.

The group ran into the hanger where they had landed their ships, sentries ran towards them firing their blasters but thankfully missing. Shiloh opened her eyes slightly when she heard Hunk tell her, and those on his communicator, that they had made it to the ships and were about to board. Staring at her were two monstrously large lions. Tears poured from her eyes at the sight, not only was she about to be free but it was them. She had heard stories about these lions for years and they were one of the things that kept her hope up even when the Druids took her voice.

"It's them...it's the lions."

She repeated this over and over in her mind like a chant as the tears continued. Hunk gently set her on the floor against his seat then strapped himself in after giving her a reassuring smile. She definitely liked this man.

"Yellow normally only has one passenger so there's no other seats. Please hold on if you can, we'll be out of here soon." With a nod she eased herself onto her back then rolled onto her uninjured side and wrapped an arm around the base pole of his seat. She felt the lion roar to life and take off, weaving and speeding through the ships that had gathered to stop them. The first blast that hit them did her in, the lion rolled and she lost her grip on the pole causing her to slide back against one of the consoles and once they righted themselves her body slammed against the cold metal. The pain began to overwhelm her and she saw stars before blackness started creeping into her vision. The last thing Shiloh remembered seeing was a large white ship before losing consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

She couldn't feel any pain. Was this it? Had she finally died? For months...years maybe...she had fantasized about her death. When she thought of it, it was almost like recalling a memory, some times bittersweet, some times terrifying, but the common ending was that she was finally free. That part always made her smile, dreaming that she was free from Zarkon and the Druids. No way they could recapture her that way.

 _"She should wake any time now."_

An unfamiliar voice brought her mind back to the current situation. A voice meant she wasn't dead, well, at least not yet. This was a female voice, kind but guarded. Shiloh couldn't blame her for that, there would be no telling what kind of danger her being there would cause. Unless...unless she was still on the Galra ship.

 _"No,"_ Shiloh thought to herself, _"The lions were there, those two boys saved me. So, who..."_

A horrible chill swept over her then the sound of an airlock releasing filled her ears as the glass panel in front of her slid open. With hand on the cool metal of the chamber holding her up, Shiloh took a small step out and almost instantly her legs gave out. A pair of arms caught her just before she hit the floor and then set her down gently on a step. Shiloh looked up and saw the face of the man in the yellow armor from before. She believed Hunk was his name.

"Just take it easy now." He draped a thick blanket around her shoulders and she pulled it tightly around her. When her body finally stopped shaking after a couple moments she looked up at the other eyes watching her. There was the one who had worn the red armor, Shiloh smiled to herself knowing that he was alright. A beautiful woman with long white hair who wore a kind smile set Shiloh's heart at ease, but they style of her clothes she wasn't human and she was of an upper status. Next to her was a gentleman with red hair and a mustache, he wasn't human either but he seemed kind. A shorter person stood nearby with a small Galran robot floating at their side. Shiloh eyed the thing uneasily, and the shorter one smiled.

"Don't worry about Rover, I re-purposed him and now he's one of us."

Shiloh nodded and was calmed by the explanation. Next to them was a taller guy who flashed her a sparkling white grin. He took a breath to speak but was cut off when the last member of the team spoke up with a stern tone, "Not now, Lance."

Shiloh's eyes slid onto his face, _this_ voice she knew. Shiro stood in front of her but he wasn't looking at her, he was talking to Lance who was attempting to prove his innocence but neither he nor the others were having it. Shiro didn't seem to recognize who she was and even though the thought of him not knowing her stung her heart deeply she was happy for it as well. She would be able to ignore him easier, to keep her guard up. She couldn't go through that again.

The woman cleared her throat and knelt in front of Shiloh which brought her back from her thoughts. "How are you feeling?" Unfortunately Shiloh's muteness was a relatively new thing so she didn't know any sign language. Not that it had mattered much on the ship before but Shiloh wasn't sure how to answer her, the only thing that came to mind was to nod which the woman accepted.

"My name is Princess Allura and this is my advisor, Coran." She motioned to the orange haired man who smiled at Shiloh, "And these are the paladins of Voltron. Lance, Pidge, Shiro, Hunk, and Keith." Pointing at each in turn and they either waved or nodded to her in greeting.

"What's your name?" Hunk, who had been sitting near her the whole time, leaned forward as he asked. Keith spoke up before she had a chance to attempt to answer the question. "I'm not sure she can talk, that muzzle thing may not have been the only thing restricting her." Shiloh nodded and reached up to touch her throat, her blood running cold when she didn't feel the material from the muzzle. If she couldn't feel that then her neck was bare, if that was bare then they could see the scars. Shiloh's cheeks burned red and she pulled the blanket over her neck to hide them. Allura looked at the healing pod, "For some reason the pod couldn't heal them, I'm sorry." Shiloh shook her head to tell the princess it was fine as Pidge handed her an open computer. "You can use this to tell us your name and talk to us for now." She smiled at Pidge in thanks then quickly typed a message out to them.

 _My name is Shiloh O'Hare. The Druids conducted an experiment on my vocal chords so I can no longer speak. Thank you all for your help._

She spun the screen to face the group and as they read they looked from her then at Shiro and back to her. "So, you're like me. They did the same thing to my arm." She looked up at him as he held the metal arm up, flexing the fingers and she nodded. "Did we cross paths on the ship?" Shiloh shook her head and she could see disappointment flash into his eyes. She wanted to tell him yes, wanted to make him remember, but she wouldn't. No, she couldn't.

"How did you become a prisoner?" Shiloh poised her fingers over the keys to answer the question but as she thought about how to tell them painful flashbacks of that day took over. She felt the blood drain from her face and her hands began to shake.

They shouldn't have been there that day. Never should have messed with what they didn't know, this would have never happened. She would be safe at home, she'd have her voice still, she wouldn't be alone. If only...if only...if only...

A hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality and Hunk smiled at her with a soft pat. "You don't have to answer right now, when ever you're comfortable with it is fine." Princess Allura nodded in agreement and stood up. "Come, Shiloh. Let us find you something to wear other than that dirty uniform."

Princess Allura sat on the edge of her bed as she watched the closet doors waiting for Shiloh to reappear. The blast Shiloh had taken burned through the side of her old clothes and since they were no where near Earth, or any other place that might have clothes, Allura let the girl take one of her dresses.

After a while Shiloh finally emerged from the closed doors and stood with her hands clasped at her midsection, watching Allura for her approval. It was a simple dress made of a material the equivalent of cotton from Earth and colored a deep blue that was just a shade or two darker than that of the dress Allura herself wore. The neckline swooped just under the collar bone and sat just slightly offset on her shoulders, the sleeves were long and ended at her wrists with a border of lighter blue, the skirt itself touched the floor with the same border on the edge, and finally a ribbon sat on her waist in the same border shade.

Allura stood and positively beamed at Shiloh, "Oh Shiloh, you look lovely! The way Altean fashion suits you would make someone believe you were an Altean." Shiloh smiled at her words and bowed her head in thanks. Taking her hand Allura pulled Shiloh to the mirror across the room and placed her in front of it. At first glance Shiloh thought she was looking at a stranger, there was no way the reflection was her but after a moment she realized it was her. The same gentle upturned eyes with their corn blue colored iris', her skin was paler than she remembered and her dark brown hair was definitely a lot longer.

A splash of red caught her eye as she stared at herself and with a shaky hand she touched her neck. It was so much worse than what she had expected to see. She knew they weren't going to look pretty, not the faded scars that might flush red when she was flustered, but still this was more than she wanted to imagine. It encircled almost her entire throat, ending just before the back of her neck. It wasn't a straight cut, more of a jagged path as if who ever had cut her had unsteady hands. Scattered over and under it were stray cuts where different needles and blades entered, the skin around the main cut was raised and discolored.

Shiloh turned away from her reflection quickly before her tears could start and Allura put a gentle hand on her back. "I am so sorry, Shiloh. I hadn't meant to upset you, let me see if I have something that might help." Allura hurried over to a dresser and began digging through a jewelry box while talking to Shiloh. "I just know I have a necklace that would work perfectly."

There was no way Shiloh could thank the princess enough for being so kind to her, she didn't have to lend Shiloh the dress or go to the trouble of finding something to make the girl more comfortable about not having the muzzle on but there she was, digging through everything for Shiloh's sake.

While she waited for the princess to locate what ever it was she was looking for Shiloh decided to tame her hair at least a little. Her hair was wavy and unruly but just as Allura popped her head up from her search Shiloh had wrangled the sides into two braids that joined up into a half bun at the back of her head while the rest of her hair rested loose on her back. Allura walked to her side and presented her with a strip of fabric the same shade of blue that bordered her dress and a gold clasp on the ends. Allura secured it around Shiloh's neck and gave her a triumphant smile.

"Perfect."

Allura smiled and Shiloh turned to the princess to hug her tightly. She may have only given her a dress and a necklace but to Shiloh this small bit of kindness meant the world, she swore then and there she would do anything to help her with what ever she needed. She made the same promise to the paladins and prayed she would be able to keep it.

The two women walked towards the dining room, Shiloh listened as Allura explained what had been going on and explained their situation. When they walked in all the paladins were seated at the table as Coran and Hunk set the food out, it definitely looked different. She took her seat on the mostly empty side of the table and found herself across from Shiro. Lance and Keith were arguing over something small, maybe one of them had their elbow too close to the other? She wasn't sure but by they way the others were trying to ignore it, it was nothing major. Hunk and Pidge were discussing something on the computer screen, transmission waves maybe?

"You look nice. That color suits you."

Shiro's voice pulled her attention back to him. It took a minute for his words to click in her mind, she almost thought he hadn't said anything at all but and she smiled in thanks which made him smile. She swore to help him so she supposed she couldn't ignore him.

The rest of the dinner went by rather uneventfully, there was a squabble here and there but it was peaceful. Once everything was cleaned and put away the group dispersed to do their own thing. Pidge went to continue their work on the computer, Keith went to train some more, and Lance declared it was his 'Me Time' to keep up with his killer looks. "What ever floats his boat" Shiloh supposed. Allura invited her to the bridge to learn about the castle but with a shake of her head Shiloh declined, she wanted to explore her surroundings on her own to get a feel of the castle. Allura nodded and left with Coran which made Shiro and Shiloh the last two in the room.

"If you're going to explore the castle be careful, it's a crazy maze out there."

He gave her a smile before heading off to who knows where but she didn't care. Shiloh knew where she needed to go and once she was sure he was gone she moved through the halls as fast as her legs would carry her. Even though she had just ate with the paladins she still had to see if the lions were just part of a crazy dream she had after she was shot. They were part of the reason she was in this mess and she needed to see that it hadn't been a waste of time. That all their research and sleepless nights weren't for nothing.

Finally she found herself in front of a hanger door, this was her moment of truth. It was dark when she first walked in the room other than the pale light coming from the skylights as the sun set over head but once she had made it far enough in the room the lights flipped on and she could see the blue lion plain as day. The paint was chipped from time and worn from battle but it stood just as tall and proud as if it had just been created. A wide, beaming smile spread across her face as she walked closer and put her hands on the force field protecting it.

 _"You are real..."_

Just as intense as the happiness was so was the heartbreaking sorrow as Shiloh slid to her knees. Tears rushed down her face as she sobbed, her mouth open in silent wails, and one arm wrapped around herself. Not once did her other hand leave the barrier, she felt like it was the only thing holding her where she was. If she let go then she would end up floating in the emptiness of space.

Shiro watched as she cried, his own heart breaking for her but he wouldn't interrupt. He knew what it was like, he understood that she needed to let this out and so he waited. Eventually she had cried so hard and so much that she couldn't keep her eyes open, that's when he stepped in. Gently he picked her sleeping form up and carried her to her room. He laid her on the bed and placed the blanket over her, then before closing her door behind him he looked back at her.

"Get some rest, Shiloh. Tomorrow's a new day."

He shut the lights out and shut her door.


End file.
